The Murder at Degrassi
by munrochambers4ever
Summary: When Imogen Moreno is murdered at Degrassi, CSI's Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders have to investigate and find out who did it - the boyfriend, the jealous ex or the angry friend.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: So this is my first CSI/Degrassi crossover. No one read my CSI fanfic, but hopefully this one will be a little better and maybe my Degrassi fans will like it. For this, Degrassi takes place in Las Vegas. I hope you guys enjoy this :)**

Things for Eli Goldsworthy were never easy. Growing up, he was bullied. He felt like know one ever understood him. When he finally found the one person he could love - and loved him back - she was taken away from him, unexpectedly and unbearably. Once he lost Julia, he swore he would never love again. He promised himself that one heartbreak was enough. He was fine with being alone for a while. He got used to it, he pushed people away, and he relied on his stuff to keep him safe and happy. But then he met Clare Edwards and everything changed. Suddenly, he wondered why he was alone. He didn't want to be alone anymore. After they shared their first kiss, he had the subtle feeling in his stomach again. He started smiling more. He started longing for human contact. He fell in love with her - something that scared him so much he thought he would die. And by some miracle, she fell in love with him, too. They were happy, and Eli thought their love would never end. He pictured himself growing old with her and raising their children. He could picture what they would look like - auburn, curly hair and bright green eyes. He looked forward to a future with Clare.

But just like with Julia, that future was taken from him abruptly. Clare didn't die, she just fell out of love with who he became. Eli regretted becoming that person - that person so filled with rage and jealously that he'd be willing to hurt himself to keep her. He hated himself for pushing her away. Everything went downhill from there. He was back to square one. Back to being alone. It was different this time. When he chose to be alone after Julia died, he was happy with it. He was lonely. It became apart of who he was. But Clare shattered that. She shattered the walls he had built up to keep himself alone and now that she was gone, the loneliness scared him to death. He tried to feel comfortable with it again, surrounding himself with stuff that reminded him of Clare. It never worked, though. The loneliness overpowered him, and he crumbled under the stress of it all. His mind created a whole, a whole where he could live how he wanted. He could be with Clare, he could have a family, friends. The whole in his mind was comforting, safe. He lost himself in that make-believe world and shut everyone else out.

Someone broke the barrier again, though. Imogen Moreno persevered and wormed her way into Eli's whole. Once she was in, she couldn't get out. And Eli fell head over heels in love with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Just posting chapter 2 since I posted chapter 1 on tumblr ;)**

Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders loved their job. Sure, there were moments that made them question their job. Why was there so much death? Why humans hate each other so much, that they'd be willing to kill? Some of the things killers did to their victims made Nick and Greg question humanity, let alone their job. But putting a killer away, and giving the victim's family justice made them understand that it was worth it. So many people have lost their lives and their families never got closure. If Nick and Greg could help out one family, then it made it okay. That's what they told themselves, at least.

It was already hard when kids died. It struck Nick in the heart and Greg in the stomach. Why would you kill someone who has their whole life ahead of them? It wasn't fair to anyone. As they arrived at the Crime Scene at Degrassi Community School, they were in silence. A teenager girl had been murdered in her high school - a place where she should feel safe. They each grabbed their kits and walked under the crime tape, entering the high school. Students were ordered to stay in their classrooms to be questioned and Greg could see the kids straining their necks to see out the window.

The victim was laying on her back in the girls locker room. Her face was bloody and the marks around her neck were obvious finger marks. She was strangled. Greg and Nick stared at the girl and took a moment of silence. Although she was a senior, she had a baby face and could easily be mistaken for a twelve year old.

Nick could hear sobs coming from the other side of the locker room. Greg heard them, too, and he set his case down, walking over to the young boy being consoled by a cop.

"Were you the first cop on the scene?" Greg asked, pulling on his latex gloves.

"Yes," the policeman answered, still rubbing the back on the dark haired boy who had his face in his hands. "Officer Mason. I came in here to check if all the students were out before we had a routine firedrill and found her,"

"And this is?" Greg motioned to the boy.

He lifted his head and had eyeliner marks running down his cheeks. Tears were flowing from his eyes. "I'm Eli Goldsworthy," he answered in a hoarse tone. "That's my girlfriend, Imogen,"

"Why was Imogen in here?" Nick asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Eli yelled. "Probably going to the bathroom or something,"

"Eli, it's okay," Officer Mason murmured to him.

"It's not, Spin, it's not!" Eli stood up and went to walk out of the locker room.

"Sir, please wait," Greg instructed. "I need to see your hands,"

"What?" Eli turned around. "I'm a suspect? Really? That's just fucking great," Eli held his hands out and Greg looked at them. There was no visible blood underneath his nails or in any of his rings.

"Would it be okay if I took these rings back to the lab?"

Eli glared at Greg in disbelief. "You really think I'm a suspect? Seriously? You think I would murder my girlfriend?"

"I'm just doing my job, sir,"

"Fuck you," Eli said evenly. "You don't know me and you don't know her. Don't talk to me like I'm a suspect and don't talk about her like she's just some piece of dead meat. We're real people,"

"Then tell me about her," Greg said, softly. "Make me know her. I can't treat her like anything but a victim unless you tell me about her. Come on, sit down, let's talk,"

"No, no. I'm done with physc evaluations. I've had therapists try to get inside my head before and it's not happening,"

"I'm not a therapist, though. I'm just trying to get to know Imogen so I can treat her like a person and do my job better,"

Eli shook his head. "You're never gonna truly know her. If you want my rings that bad, get a warrant. If not, don't talk to me," Eli turned and left the locker room.

Greg sighed. Officer Mason clapped him on the shoulder. "Eli's girlfriend died in a car accident a few years ago. This isn't easy for him. I'll talk to him and see if I can get him to come back and talk to you, okay?"

"Thank you," Greg answered


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Chaaaaaaapter threeee :)**

Spinner Mason - or, more offically - Officer Mason ran after Eli. Spinner and Eli had met through their friend, Sav, and had been best friends ever since. They related on a lot of levels. Spinner knew exactly what Eli was feeling right now. Spinner liked to tell people that Eli and Spinner were like the same person, and it was basically true.

After Spinner chated with Greg, he followed Eli to his car to talk to him. "Eli," Spinner knocked on the window. Eli lifted his head off the steering wheel and unlocked the passenger side door. Had it been anyone else, he would have ignore them. "Now, Eli, you know you can't just leave the scene,"

"I didn't do it. I don't have a reason to be here,"

"Don't you wanna find out who did this to Imogen?" Spinner asked.

"Of course I do,"

"Then go back in there and talk to that CSI. They will figure out who did this, I promise you that. Okay?"

"I don't want to talk to him. Cops are nothing but problems," Eli said stubbornly and put his head back on the steering wheel. "No offense," he added under his breath.

"Eli," Spinner sighed and put his hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't wanna talk to them, but it could help them figure out who did this to Imogen? You said you didn't want him talking about Imogen like she was a piece of meat. Well, he's going to unless you talk to him,"

Eli sighed loudly and got out of the car. He put his head down and marched back into the school, Spinner close behind.

Greg and Nick were taking pictures of Imogen and Eli flinched. "How can they just stand there, so calm?" Eli whispered to Spinner.

"It's apart of their training," Eli stopped walking and Spinner went up to Greg. He polietly tapped him on the shoulder. Eli couldn't make out what they were saying, but Greg put his camera down and came over to him.

"Hi, Eli," Greg said, shyly.

"Hi," Eli rolled his eyes.

"So can I have those rings?" Greg asked.

Eli looked at Spinner - much the same way a child would look at a mom to see if it was okay - and Spinner nodded. Eli pulled his rings off and handed them to Greg, who put them in a small bag. "Thank you," Greg said.

"Go ahead and ask. I know you need to know things about me and I'd feel more comfortable doing it here than at the station,"

"Okay," Greg said, easily, just trying to please Eli right now. Greg knew what it was like to loose someone close to you. It was hard, and he wasn't gonna make anything more difficult for Eli. "Where were you about three hours ago?"

"In class. French. You can check with my teacher,"

"Okay. Do you have any ideas of why Imogen would be in here? Did she have gym that period or...?"

"No, she has Biology. I don't know why she was in here,"

"Does she have any enemies? Or anyone that would want to hurt her?"

Eli sighed again. "She doesn't have many friends, but I wouldn't really call anyone her enemy,"

"Okay, that's pretty much it. Do you know where she lives? Could you give me an address or something please?"

Eli's heart skipped a beat for a minute. "Uh, yeah...She, uh, she lives with her friend, Fiona...Her parents kicked her out..." Eli trailed off and looked away. He knew the follow up question and he didn't want to answer it.

"Why was she kicked out?" Greg asked. He could see Eli flinch and he knew that Eli didn't want to answer the question, but Greg had to ask.

Spinner put his hand on Eli's shoulder. Eli took a deep breath and met Greg's eyes.

"She was pregnant."

**author's note: BUM BUM BUM...er, i guess? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Okay, so if you're reading this...then hi I love you 3 I'm hoping I'm doing Degrassi and CSI justice by bringing them together. Keep enjoying :)**

Greg was shocked at what Eli told him. Seeing kids die was always something that got to Greg. It made him sick, but to know that this victim had someone living inside her that died, too. That made his head spin. Sure, the killer might not have known, but the fact that two lives were taken today was way worse than one.

"She was pregnant?" Greg asked, although he wasn't sure why. He had heard Eli loud in clear, it just hadn't sunk in yet.

"Yeah," Eli said, defeated, and sat down on a nearby bench. Spinner sat down next to him.

"Do you know how far along she was?" Greg wondered, clearing his now thick throat.

"No. I mean. We estimated about five weeks, but we weren't sure. We were sexually active for a while, but it wasn't like sex all the time. It could be more than five weeks...less...I don't know," Eli mumbled.

"We'll figure that out in the autopsy," Greg said, and Eli flinched at the last word. Imogen was really gone. Eli could feel the loniless surrounding him, despite all the people around.

"Can I know?" Eli asked, suddenly. "Can you...Can you tell me how far along she was?"

"Of course. I can call Officer Mason and he can tell you," Greg glanced at Spinner and Spinner nodded. "Eli, can you tell me if Imogen's parents were strict?"

"Not really," He shrugged. "I was allowed in her room with the door open and she was allowed to sleep over if my parents were home. I'm sure they assumed we were having sex, but they just weren't expecting her to get pregnant. They only kicked her out about a week ago. I honestly thought they were gonna let her back soon,"

"Thank you," Greg murmured.

David and Nick rolled a stretcher out of the locker room, Imogen strapped to it. Eli choked a little on his breath and then began sobbing. Spinner put his arm around Eli and pulled him close. Eli let it all out.

Greg stood watching the two friends, and feeling awkward. He didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to join them and cry, but that wasn't professional. Spinner met Greg's teared eyes and Greg just gave a sad frown, before following Nick, desperate to get out of there before he started to cry.

**Author's note: Pretty short, but I just wanted to show that Eli, Greg and Spinner all kinda feel the same and have sort of a connection. The next chapter will be more CSI-y so if there's any questions you can ask :)  
>Btw, David is the assisant coriner, for those that don't watch CSI. <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: So while watching my CSI marathon, some inspiration hit and here we are. Like I said, this is gonna be a little more CSI-y so any questions, just ask. In the bottom's author's note I'll kinda explain who these other people are for those that don't watch. Enjoy :)**

Greg grabbed one of the evidence bags out of the back seat, while Nick grabbed both of their kits. Nick kicked his door closed, and followed Greg into the lab.

"I was spending most of the time questioning the boyfriend, Eli, so did you get any evidence off our vic?" Greg felt kinda bad for speaking about them like that after he promised Eli he wouldn't, but it was a habit. He's seen a thousand dead bodies and as much as he'd like to treat them like people, they weren't anything to him but a sad story and a job for the night. Still, this case felt different. He felt bad for calling Imogen a victim, rather than a person.

"Not too much. There were no visible prints around her neck, but maybe Robbins could get more. She had some blood under her nails - I'll send that to Wendy, along with a hair I found on her collar,"

"What color was the hair?" Greg asked as he set the bag down on the lay-out table. He started unloading the evidence.

"Uh, brown," Nick answered.

Greg thought about Eli's dark hair and pushed that aside. "You think it was the killer's hair?"

"Could be. There was definitely a stuggle. I'm hoping that the blood under her nails was the killer's. I'm gonna go get this to Wendy now. I'll text you if we get a hit,"

"Okay," Greg answered and started sifting through the pictures they took. She was a pretty girl. The only injuries to her face was a busted lip and a black eye. The killer probably wasn't a fighter.

Meanwhile, Nick gave Wendy the two pieces of evidence they had. He pulled up a chair and watched Wendy do her work. His phone beeped. "Hey, Wendy, I gotta go to the autopsy - you wanna just page me when you find a result?"

"No problem," She answered.

Nick met Greg in autopsy and sighed. It was never easy to see a young person on this table. Greg gave Nick a sad glance and then they looked at Dr. Robbins. "Cause of death?" Nick asked.

"Like you thought, she died of strangulation. Pretty recent, too, which explains the lack of blue lips and fingertips. Time of death was around one- thirty,"

"Could you lift any prints off the body?" Greg asked.

"No. Not even around the neck - that was a strange. Killer might have used gloves. I did find a green smear on the back of her neck, though. I sent it to Hodges,"

"Thanks, Doc," Nick said and peeled his gloves off.

"One more thing...She was six weeks pregnant,"

Nick stopped what he was doing to stare at Robbins with wide eyes. Saddness washed over him. Greg sighed. "Yeah, Eli told me she got thrown out of her house for being pregnant. She lived with her friend, Fiona something. I can ask Officer Mason,"

"Well call him now, please. I'm gonna go check on Hodges and Wendy, then meet up with you and we can go to Fiona's," Nick pulled off his robe and put it in the hamper. Greg nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

Hodges met Nick halfway down the hall. "Oh, hey, I was just coming to get you. Green substance on your vic was regular paint. Something you would find in an art class,"

"Alright, thanks, Hodges,"

Nick met Greg at the car. "Her name is Fiona Coyne. She lives in a loft just around the corner from the school. She was emancipated about a year ago. Her family lives in New York,"

"Alright, let's go,"

* * *

><p>They knocked on Fiona's door and after about two minutes, she answered. "Hello?"<p>

"Miss Coyne? We're with the crime lab - this is Nick Stokes, I'm Greg Sanders. We're here to talk to you about Imogen Moreno,"

Fiona took in a deep breath. Greg noticed the tissue in her hand and some smears around her eyes. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with her mom - she's down at the station with your detective. Bross? Brass? I can't remember what she said,"

Nick nodded. "Captian Brass,"

"That's it," Fiona said.

"Would you mind if we had a look around? Imogen did live here, correct?"

"Yeah, she just moved in last week. Look and take whatever you want," Fiona opened the door wider and motioned her hand around the loft. Nick and Greg - and the officer they were with - stepped inside. Greg pulled on his gloves. "Which room was Imogen's?"

Fiona wiped her eye. "That one," she motioned to a door on the right. Greg picked up his kit and moved in it.

Nick's phone started ringing. He put his case down and answered it. "What's up, Wendy?"

"The hair you gave me is still running, but I got something off of the blood. It didn't hit in CODIS, but it came back XX,"

"Female," Nick said, looking at Fiona.

"Yes,"

"Thank you, Wendy," Nick said and closed his phone. He looked over Fiona and when she reached up to wipe her eyes again, he saw a deep scratch on her hand. "Miss Coyne, how did you get that scratch?"

Fiona seemed to break out of a daze. She looked down at her hand. "My girlfriend has a cat. When I go over to her house sometimes, he scratches me,"

Before Nick could ask anything else, Greg came out of Imogen's room, carrying a lamp. "Miss Coyne, how did this lamp get broken?"

Fiona turned to look at the lamp. "Imogen and I had a fight this morning," She started crying. "I never even got to make it right,"

"What was the fight about?" Nick asked.

"Clothes," Fiona gave a hard chuckle. "She was wearing my shirt and I wanted it back. She said it completed her outfit and I got mad. We got into a tiny fight and she pushed me so the lamp got broken. I ended up just leaving,"

Nick nodded while Greg bagged the lamp, and went back into the room.

"Miss Coyne, would you be willing to give us a DNA sample?" Nick asked.

Fiona glared at him. "Why?"

"Well, you have a scratch on your hand and Imogen had female blood under her nails,"

"So you think I killed her? Unbelievable!" she yelled.

"We're just trying to rule you out," Nick said. Greg came back into the room with two bags.

"Get out!" Fiona yelled. "I know my rights. You want anything else - get a warrant,"

Greg and Nick shared a look, before leaving her house. They got back in the car and Nick sighed. "I think she did it,"

"Really?"

"Scratches, they got into a fight earlier. I think the fight continued at school in the locker room and Fiona just ended up killing her,"

"Well without a DNA sample, we can't prove she was there,"

"I'll try to get a warrant. What else did you find in the bedroom?"

Greg shrugged. "Nothing much. Most of her things were in bags. She hadn't unpacked yet and I couldn't get through much before Fiona kicked us out. I did find a semen stain in her bed, though, I'm just assuming it's Eli's. I'll still test it,"

"Alright. I think I'm gonna head over to PD and try to get that warrant," Nick put the car in drive.

"I'll take this stuff to the lab,"

Before Nick could pull off the side of the road, his phone rang. "Hey, Wendy, you get a hit off that hair?"

"I did," Wendy answered. "He's in the system. He's a cop,"

"Who?" Nick asked, confused.

"Gavin Mason."

**Author's note: I don't know if that was a big cliff hanger, but you know, it gives depth to things. Do you guys think Fiona did it?  
>As for the CSI stuff, Doc Robbins is the corner, Hodges is trace, and Wendy is DNA. If there's any other questions about that stuff, just leave it in a review :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: It's interesting to see who you guys think it is. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet xD ahaha. Here is chapter 6 :)**

Nick thanked Wendy and then closed his phone and pulled off the curb. "I actually think we need to make a stop before the lab,"

"To where?" Greg asked.

"PD. Turns out that brown hair I found belonged to Officer Mason,"

Greg's eyebrows shot up. Obviously, he didn't know Spinner that well, but the look on his face while he was comforting Eli...It wasn't guilt. It was sadness. He was just as sad as Eli was. "He didn't do it," Greg said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I could just tell by the way he comforted Eli,"

"People can lie about that stuff, Greg," Nick reminded.

"I just don't think he did it,"

"Well, we still have to check into it,"

* * *

><p>"So because a single hair of mine was found on Imogen's body that means I'm a suspect?" Spinner asked, crossing his arms.<p>

"We're just trying to exclude you as a suspect," Nick said.

"Right," Spinner muttered. "I don't know how my hair got on her. Maybe when I checked her pulse. I hugged her earlier that day when she was upset,"

"Why was she upset?" Greg asked. He was pleased to know there was a legit excuse why Spinner's hair was on Imogen.

"Her and Fiona had just got into a fight she was afraid Fiona would kick her out,"

"I see. Did they fight often?" Nick asked.

Spinner pursed his lips. "Not really. I mean they were girls, so they would fight over girly things. But nothing really serious. This was the first time the fight got serious. If you ask me, I think Imogen's hormones were overreacting when she pushed Fiona,"

"Thank you, Officer Mason. We're sorry to bother you," Greg held his hand out.

"No problem," Spinner shook his hand.

"Oh and by the way...Imogen was six weeks along. Would you tell Eli for me?" Greg asked.

"Of course,"

Nick and Greg went back to their car and drove to the lab. Greg unloaded the new evidence. "I'm gonna go run this semen to Wendy, along with Eli's rings. See if Imogen's blood is on them,"

"Okay," Nick said. Once Greg was gone, he looked at the autopsy photos. He flipped through them quickly, and one caught his eye. The green paint smudge on the back of Imogen's neck. Someone had paint on their fingers when they strangled her. Nick tried to think back to Fiona's apartment, but he couldn't remember if he saw any paintings.

"Hey, Greg," Nick asked when he came back. "Were there any paintings at Fiona's condo?"

"I think there were a few in the hallway. Mostly landscape paintings. Why?"

"I think it's time we got a warrant," Nick said.

**Author's note: This was short, but I kinda wanted it to be a semi-cliffhanger. Next chapter will be Fiona's questioning. Did she do it? Did Spinner? Hmmm. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Chapter 7 : ) I hope this didn't make you have a heart attack ; )**

Greg was sitting in the car, waiting for Nick to come back outside. He had run inside to get a warrant for Fiona's condo and to bring Fiona into questioning. Nick came back and got in the car, pulling it out of the parking lot.

They drove to Fiona's house and knocked on the door. Fiona answered and glared. "You two again? Really?"

"This time we have a warrant, ma'am, so if you could just step outside with Greg, I'm gonna take a look around then you need to come down to the station with us,"

Fiona scowled at Nick and stepped outside and stood next to Greg. While Nick walked in with his kit, Greg looked at Fiona. The rims of her eyes were red, her hair seemed aberrant, and her clothes were wrinkled. "I'm very sorry for your loss," Greg murmured quietly to her.

"No, you're not," Fiona scoffed. "You think I did it, for God's sake,"

Greg closed his mouth and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Fiona sighed.

Nick emerged from the house a few minutes later with one evidence bag. Greg knew that there was paint samples in the bag. "This way, Miss Coyne," Nick instructed as they made their way to the car.

Fiona crossed her arms, and sighed. The metal chair she was sitting in was uncomfortable and the enclosed gray room made her feel small. She started tapping her foot.

"Are you sure you don't want a lawyer?" Greg asked as Nick sat down with the case files.

"I'm sure," Fiona said, aggrivated.

"Okay, then," Nick answered. "Now, for the record, how did you get that scratch on your hand?"

"I already told you. My girlfriend's cat scratched me. Wanna take a sample of it and compare it to Mr. Tuxedopants' DNA?"

Greg stopped himself from cracking a smile at the name. Nick showed no emotion. "No, but we would like a sample of your DNA,"

"Fine," Fiona sighed again and sat up straighter in her chair. Nick pulled out a swab and Fiona looked around uneasily. "I want him to do it," She looked at Greg.

Nick nodded and handed the swab to Greg. Greg leaned across the table and swabbed Fiona's cheek. "Thank you," he said, sincerely and capped the swab.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about you and Imogen's friendship?"

Fiona's eyes tightened. She stared down at the table, emotionless. "She was my best friend," She whispered brokenly.

Greg stood up. "That's enough," He said with a thick throat. For some reason, this case felt different to him. Seeing all the people react to Imogen's death made him feel bad. Like he was the one that lost someone. "Thank you, Fiona. You're free to go now,"

Fiona stood up and walked out of the room. Greg sat back down. "Man, what was that?" Nick asked.

"She didn't do it," Greg insisted.

"Greg, you gotta quit acting like you know these suspects. She might have done it,"

"She didn't," he repeated.

Nick was going to press on, but his phone rang. "Hey, Wendy, what's up?"

Greg reached up and rain his fingers through his hair before resting his face in his palms. This case was so emotionally draining for him. He sighed.

"Really? Wow, um, thank you, Wendy,"

Nick closed his phone and sat back in his chair. Greg sat up and looked at Nick. "What's up?"

"That semen you got from Imogen's bed...It wasn't Eli's," Nick said.

Greg's eyebrows shot up. "Who's was it, then?"

"Officer Mason,"

Greg's mouth dropped. He swore he felt his chin hit the table. Everything in his mind spun. Eli's best friend was sleeping with his girlfriend. The baby...Spinner's remorse...Eli's sadness. Greg felt like he was falling.

"Do you think Eli knew?" Nick asked.

"He definitely didn't," Greg managed to choke out. If Eli had known, there was no way he would be able to look at Spinner - Greg knew that much.

"Should we tell him? I mean, what about the baby? Doesn't he have a right to know?"

"We can't tell him that!" Greg yelled. "Imogen just died. Eli doesn't need to be thinking about her that way now that she's gone. It's between Eli and Spinner. Let Eli find out on his own and deal with Spinner,"

"What if he already knew?" Nick mumbled. "What if 'dealt with Imogen' by killing her?"

"N-No," Greg shook his head. It sounded probable, but the look on Eli's face kept creeping into his mind. He couldn't have done it. Could he? "What if it was Spinner?" Greg asked, trying to get the blame away from Eli. The kid has been through enough. "What if he really loved Imogen and killed her because he wanted her to himself?"

"I think we should talk to him, before we talk to Eli," Nick suggested.

"Yeah...Yeah, you're right," Greg shook his head. These weren't his friends and their personal life wasn't his buisness. He just needed to figure out who did this to Imogen, and put them away.

**Author's note: I just want to make it clear that I know Spinner would never do this. It just needed to happen for the plot's sake. Any new theories or ideas NOW? ; )**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: la la la. It's so funny to see the reactions to this. I like throwing curvballs :) But I mean **_**come on**_** you guys really don't know who it is? I haven't made it obvious enough? ; )**

Spinner sat across from Nick and Greg. He began tapping his foot, waiting for them to say something. Nick and Greg glanced at each other. Greg's face was sad. He felt terrible for putting Spinner in this position. Everything between Spinner and Eli now was a lie. For some reason, Greg felt betrayed. He thought with that one special hug, that they had a perfect friendship. But now...

"So we know that you slept with Imogen," Nick broke the silence. Spinner's foot stopped tapping. This wasn't what he was expecting.

"Uh..." Spinner stuttered. "I was. She broke it off a few weeks before she found out she was pregnant,"

"How did you feel about her breaking it off?" Nick asked.

Spinner sighed and sat up a little straighter. "I didn't like it. I mean...Me and Imogen - we had something. Something her and Eli didn't have. But she was so fucking in love with him. It made me sick. He wasn't good to her like I was,"

"What do you mean?" Greg asked. He knew Eli loved Imogen.

"They fought all the time. Over pointless shit. Sex, their exes, their dates, school. _Everything_. That's why she moved in with Fiona instead of Eli. I never fought with her. I loved her. Way more than Eli ever could. When she ended it...It broke my heart,"

"And Eli has no idea?" Nick asked.

"Of course not,"

"He's your best friend," Greg muttered, upset. "How could you do that to him?"

"Eli is my best friend, yes, but you can't help the way you feel. I couldn't just stop loving her,"

"And you're just gonna lie to him for the rest of your life? I mean what about the baby! Was it yours or his?" Greg yelled.

Spinner put his head in his hands and started crying. "I don't know,"

Greg took a deep breath. "Did you kill Imogen?"

"No!" Spinner cried. "I just told you how in love with her I was - you think I would murder her!"

"She broke your heart, didn't she?"

"I did not kill her," Spinner whispered, brokenly.

Greg stared at Spinner for a minute. The pain in his eyes was undeniable and it wasn't guilt. He was hurting just as much - if not more - than Eli. "You're free to go," Greg said.

Spinner wiped his eyes and stood up, leaving the room.

"Why do you keep doing this, Greg?" Nick asked.

"We have no evidence that Officer Mason was even at the scene or anything. The DNA under Imogen's nails is female,"

"But he has motive,"

"He didn't do it,"

Nick sighed, angerly and opened the case file. He stared at it for a minute, not really reading it. "We have to ask Eli if he knows,"

"By asking him that, we're telling him and we're not doing that,"

"If you just found out your best friend was sleeping with your girlfriend, wouldn't you be pissed? Wouldn't you want to kill them?"

Greg shook his head. "We cannot tell him that. It would ruin him,"

"Why are you caring so much about these suspects, Greg?" Nick yelled, frustrated.

"Because they're real people!" Greg shouted and stood up. He flung the door open, but Nick put his hand on the door and pushed it closed.

"Real people that could have murdered an eighteen year old pregnant girl,"

Greg glared. "It was Eli and it wasn't Spinner and it wasn't Fiona. Find some new suspects," Greg pushed Nick aside and left the anterrogation room.

Nick sighed and pulled out his cell phone. "Brass, it's Nick. Can you do me a favor and bring Eli Goldsworthy in for questioning?"

**Author's note: oh oh oh what is Nick gonna tell Eli? What is Nick gonna ask Eli? What does Eli know? What did Eli do? kfahdfkl. Review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Okay so this may or may not be the last chapter. I'm not sure. I was actually gonna wait a long time and make you suffer because I'm that evil, but I had this scene running in my head all day today in school so I need to let it out. I don't exactly have it planned out, so it may be the last chapter and it may not be. It all depends on if I find a right way to end it. Anyway, enough with my babble. Here you go...**

Eli looks nervously around the room. Being in a plain white room, with no windows and a cop staring at him made him feel uneasy. It felt like the room was getting smaller.

Nick cleared his throat. "Mr. Goldsworthy?"

Eli snapped back from his panic mode and looked at Nick. "Uhm...yes?" He licked his now-dry lips.

"What is you relationship like with Officer Mason?" Nick asked for a second time.

Eli licked his lips again and cleared his throat. "He's my best friend. He's like my older brother. I look up to him. I admire him,"

"When did you two meet?"

"About two years ago. He was close friend with my girlfriend's sister, so whenever I went over to her house, I would see him. We became friends, and then when my girlfriend dumped me, he really helped me through that,"

"Who was your girlfriend?"

"Clare Edwards," Eli said, with a hint of bitterness covering his tone.

"Do you still have contact with Clare?"

"We have a few classes together, but we don't really talk. Imogen doesn't really like her and she gets mad when I talk to her or about her,"

"Is that what Imogen and you fought over?"

Eli looked up to glare at Nick. "Would told you we fought?"

"Did you fight?" Nick shot back.

"Yes."

"A lot?"

"...Yes,"

"What did you fight about?" Nick questioned, pulling out a pen and scribbling down his notes.

"Mostly Clare. Imogen thought that I was still in love with her and she would get mad at me,"

"_Were_ you over Clare?" Nick asked, putting his pen down and staring at Eli. Eli's eye tightened.

"Yes,"

Nick saw the quick flash in Eli's green irises and knew he was lying. "You were still in love with her, weren't you?"

"I loved Imogen," Eli stated, menacingly.

"But not as much as you loved Clare. I think Imogen knew that. I think Imogen knew you weren't over Clare and she nagged you about it to the point where you wanted to kill her,"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Eli deadpanned. "Yes, Imogen pissed me off and yes, we had our relationship problems, but I never wanted her to die. Hell, she was carrying my kid - why would I kill her?"

"You two had a tense relationship," Nick stated.

"Because of Clare!" Eli shouted.

With those three words, two thoughts connected into one for Nick. His eyes widened and he scribbled something down on his note pad. "Mr. Goldsworthy, I'm gonna need you to stay here. This officer will keep you company," Nick shot up from his seat and he marched out the door, slamming into Greg.

"Hey, I was just coming back to go over some notes - what are you doing?"

"I just questioned Eli -"

"You what?" Greg yelled. "Why would you do that? You're only making it harder for him,"

"Eli is fine. And I just broke the case. C'mon, we need to go somewhere and grabbed your phone - we need to make a few calls,"

Greg followed Nick into his car and before they could both have their seat belts on, Nick had the car shooting forward. "Call the school. Tell them we need Clare Edwards' file,"

Greg let his breath out in a _whoosh_ and dialed the school number.

The school parking lot was filled, so Nick parked on the sidewalk and jogged into the school. The front desk greated him and gave them Clare's file. He skimmed through it until he found her schedule. "Look! Clare had art class third period,"

"And?" Greg asked. None of this was making sense. He just wanted to know what Eli told him.

"Imogen had paint on the back of her neck. We need to go get a sample and then talk to Clare,"

Nick tucked the file under his arm and walked down the hall to the art room. He knocked on the door, and then opened it. Mrs. Dawes looked up from her desk and stood up. "Mr. Stokes, Mr. Sanders, can I help you?" She asked. They had questioned her already - asking her if she heard anything and she said no - so she was surprised that they were here.

"Mrs. Dawes, can we talk to you in private?" Nick asked. Mrs. Dawes motioned for her class to keep working and followed Nick and Greg out the door. Greg closed the door behind them.

"Ma'am, what was your lesson three days ago?" Nick asked.

"Uhm, we were painting...oh, what were we painting?" she muttered to herself. "Barn scenes! Yes. I had the students paint pictures of a barn."

"Do you have Clare Edwards' painting by any chance?"

"I do - it's next to my desk, waiting to be graded. Why?" Mrs. Dawes felt uneasy about these questions. Clare was a good girl. She couldn't have done this to Imogen.

"Was Clare out of the room any time that day?" Greg asked, as Nick went inside the classroom to get Clare's painting.

"Maybe for fifteen minutes. She went to wash her hands and go to the bathroom,"

"Thank you, Ma'am," Greg nodded. Nick came back out with Clare's painting and a jar with a paint sample.

"This looks like the paint found on Imogen's neck. I'm gonna have to compare it, though," Nick looked at the painting.

"Let's take it back to the lab and then get a warrant," Nick started for the car.

* * *

><p>Greg sighed and looked away from the screen. It was still comparing the paint samples. "So...what exactly did you ask Eli?" Greg wondered.<p>

"Don't worry," Nick said. "I didn't tell him about Spinner and Imogen,"

Greg nodded and then smiled to himself. The monitor beeped. Nick moved over and looked over Greg's shoulder. "It's a match,"

Greg's eyes widened. "Clare did it,

* * *

><p>"Clare we know you killed Imogen," Nick said quietly. Clare had tears in her eyes as she looked around the anterrogation room. Her mom squeezed her hand.<p>

"My daughter did no such thing!"

"Then how did she get that scratch under her eye?"

Clare started to sob and she ripped her hand away from her mother's. "I didn't mean to kill her. I just wanted her to be hurt. I hated her. She took Eli from me - he was mine! She flaunted him in front of me all the time. I just wanted to make her bleed and cry and hurt! I didn't mean to kill her - I just couldn't stop myself,"

Helen looked at Clare with shock and then she began crying.

"Clare Edwards," Nick said with sadness in his tone. "You're under arrest for the murder of Imogen Moreno," An officer pulled Clare from her seat and cuffed her. Helen clung to her daughter as they both sobbed.

Meanwhile, Greg and Spinner were sitting on a bench waiting for Eli to be released from the confrence room. Jim Brass was in there telling him what Clare had done.

"So, you're never gonna tell him?" Greg asked Spinner.

"I can't ruin our friendship like that?" Spinner sighed.

"So you're gonna let him think that the baby was his forever?"

"It might be his. Who knows? I just...I can't tell him that I'm that terrible of a person. I can't let him see me like that,"

"What happens when the guilt starts eating at you so bad that it hurts?"

"I'll get over it to protect him?"

"What are you protecting him from?" Greg asked.

Before Spinner could answer, Eli stepped out of the room. Brass patted him on the shoulder and walked off. Spinner stood up and took Eli into his arms just as he began sobbing. For once, Greg stepped up. He stood up and walked over to the friends and put his hand on Eli's shoulder.

Spinner let go of Eli and looked him in the eyes. "Imogen loved you,"

Eli nodded and wiped his eyes, leaving smears of eyeliner.

Clare rounded the corner - a cop leading her to her cell - and when Eli caught her sight, he launched himself at her, pain and rage leaking out of him in a loud shriek.

Greg and Spinner grabbed him by his arms as he went to go attack Clare.

"You fucking bitch!" Eli screamed.

Clare stopped and looked at him. "Eli, I'm sorry!"

"I can't fucking believe you! You whore! I hope you _rot_!"

Clare sobbed. "I'm sorry,"

"She was fucking pregnant!" Eli screamed louder at her. "She had my kid inside her, you heartless cunt!"

Greg and Spinner shared one look, before pulling Eli away. Eli spit in Clare's direction and let them pull him. Once away from her, Eli sunk to his knees and sobbed. Spinner and Greg crouched down next to him and held him as he cried.

"Come on, man, let's get your mind off of this. Wanna go for a drink?" Spinner asked. Eli nodded and with Spinner's help stood up.

"Why don't you join us?" Spinner asked Greg.

"Oh- oh I couldn't,"

"Why not? You're off the clock,"

Greg smirked. "You have a point. Let's go,"

**Author's note: Alright that is the ending. It wasn't that obvious in the story who it was but I figured since you guys knew me you'd figure it out quickly. I hope this didn't suck too bad. Thanks for reading.  
>btw, I know Eli's underage to drink but let's pretend that the law in Vegas is nineteen okay? ahah<strong>

**~Karlee**


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